Chapter 42: Chapter 42 “Lu Zhishi Has Someone He Likes.”…

Chapter 42

"Lu Zhishi has someone he likes."

Song Qinian looked into Lu Zhishi's bewildered eyes, realizing the boy hadn't been paying attention.

"You're grown up now, and you're familiar with the family's philanthropic projects. It's time you started taking on some responsibility."

Lu Zhishi put down his bowl. He'd heard his two dads and Lu Zhiyu discuss this before, and now it was finally his turn.

"Dad, I plan to fund orphanages, nursing homes, and stray animal rescue centers."

His words surprised both Song Qinian and Lu Tingan, who exchanged a look.

Lu Tingan asked, "I'd like to hear your thoughts on this."

"I'm well aware of the family's charitable endeavors. Whether it's our family, Grandma and Grandpa’s side, or Uncle Chi's family, the primary focus has always been on education and healthcare. These areas already receive substantial support, but orphanages, nursing homes, and stray animal rescue centers get very little."

"You once said, 'If you’re prosperous, help others; if you’re struggling, focus on yourself.' Now that I have the means, I want to help more people and animals."

When Lu Zhishi was younger, his allowance wasn't enough to donate much. But now, with this opportunity, he was eager to seize it.

Song Qinian nodded. "You're absolutely right. Let’s increase funding for these causes this year."

The philanthropic focus of several influential families had indeed been on education and healthcare. Orphanages and nursing homes received scant support, and resources for stray animals were even scarcer.

Lu Tingan said, "I hope you and Xiao Yu understand the true purpose of our sponsorships."

He continued, "'If you’re prosperous, help others.' I hope you always remember this. Even after your dad and I retire, these sponsorships must continue. You, your children, and their children—as long as the Lu and Song families stand, these sponsorships should never cease."

"Wealth can blind you. Charity is also a way to maintain clarity and conscience, to prevent us from straying down the wrong path."

Song Qinian added, "The purpose of sponsorship is to help those in need, not to act superior or pity others simply because we have money."

Lu Zhiyu nodded. "I understand, Dad."

Lu Zhishi also nodded. "I understand too. I won’t disappoint you."

Song Qinian nodded, feeling reassured. He trusted his children—they had grown up well, never going astray.

Then again, looking back through the generations, everyone in the family had always been upright and steadfast, never deviating.

"Alright, let’s eat. We’ll discuss this further after your Papa and I sort out the details."

After a moment, Song Qinian added, "For now, the sponsorships are in your names. When you become adults, you’ll take over your share. Once your Papa and I retire, you’ll manage all the sponsorship projects."

Lu Zhiyu nodded solemnly, feeling the weight of responsibility grow heavier.

After dinner, the two children were sent to shower while Song Qinian went to the kitchen to prepare honey loquat water.

Lu Zhishi had been coughing intermittently for a while. After consulting a doctor, Song Qinian decided to make honey loquat water for him.

He made a large batch, enough for Lu Zhishi to drink over time.

"Fat Cheese, Pang Yu, come down and drink the honey water." When no one replied to his message, Song Qinian called out from downstairs.

Lu Zhiyu came down quickly, holding a bowl as he drank. "Do I have to drink this? I’m not coughing."

"It can’t hurt to have some," Song Qinian said, watching him finish. "Besides, you were coughing."

"I didn’t cough. It was Fat Cheese."

Song Qinian scoffed. "Do your voices sound the same?"

He had raised both of them—of course he could tell their voices apart!

Lu Zhiyu fell silent. He had only coughed once or twice, and those two coughs were enough for his father to catch him.

The taste was strange, and Lu Zhiyu wasn’t a fan, but he finished it anyway. After washing and sterilizing the bowl, he went to hurry Lu Zhishi along.

"Not done yet?"

When Lu Zhiyu entered the room and saw Lu Zhishi’s tousled hair, he knew he had washed it today. He reached out to touch it, confirming it was dry.

"I dried it well this time," Lu Zhishi said, patting his hair and ruffling it to fix it.

Although both he and Lu Zhiyu had slightly wavy hair, it wasn’t too curly—just a little wave. Except right after washing, their hair always looked handsome.

Seeing him preening again, Lu Zhiyu ignored it and handed him a jacket. "Go downstairs and drink the honey water. Did you finish today’s portion?"

Song Qinian had made a large pot and filled an insulated bottle for Lu Zhishi to take to school—one bottle per day.

"I finished it all."

"Good." Lu Zhiyu left with him—Lu Zhishi headed downstairs, while he returned to his room.

He was too tired. With the rare day off, Lu Zhiyu planned to sleep early.

Downstairs, Lu Tingan was also in the living room drinking loquat water, frowning while Song Qinian stood nearby.

Seeing Lu Zhishi come down, Song Qinian pointed to the kitchen: "Drink two bowls yourself. The pot next to it is for Xiao Chen. Take the rest upstairs and drink it if you cough."

"Thanks, Dad." Lu Zhishi didn’t like the weird-tasting loquat water either, but he had been coughing frequently, and Song Qinian was worried.

Lu Zhishi obediently drank his share and took the remaining water upstairs.

Although he wanted to deliver the other pot of loquat water to Brother Xiao Chen, it was too cold outside, and his dad wouldn’t let him go out.

Before leaving, Lu Zhishi noticed Lu Tingan was still drinking, having only finished half a bowl.

Lu Zhishi purposely walked around carrying the pot, secretly smiling like a little fox.

Hehe, sometimes he and his brother really took after their Papa—like their dislike for loquat water.

Song Qinian let out an exasperated laugh. This little rascal was teasing his Papa with the loquat water just because he didn’t like it.

Under his son’s gaze, Lu Tingan felt embarrassed and glared at Song Qinian, even more reluctant to drink.

Song Qinian quickly shooed Lu Zhishi away. "Go upstairs and rest. Stop lingering around your Papa—you’re distracting him."

Lu Zhishi pouted and grumbled, slowly making his way upstairs.

As he sipped the loquat water, Lu Zhishi couldn’t help but miss the fragrant, rich bone broth and fish soup.

Unfortunately, because of his cough, Song Qinian hadn’t made any soup lately, only loquat water.

Still, after drinking bone broth and fish soup for two or three months, Lu Zhishi had grown quite a bit taller. Last time they measured, he was already 160 cm.

Though it wasn’t a huge increase, he was still growing. Sooner or later, he’d reach 180 cm.

Lu Zhishi slept soundly, wrapped tightly in his blanket, dreaming of being 180cm tall.

In the middle of the night, his leg cramped, and he was jolted awake by the sudden pain. He quickly sat up to massage it.

Growing taller had its downsides—cramps would strike during sleep, and it hurt badly.

After massaging his leg, his throat started itching, and he couldn’t help but cough a couple of times. He drank a cup of warm loquat syrup drink and felt a bit better.

It was New Year’s Day, and with the rare holiday, both adults and children were sleeping deeply.

When Lu Zhishi woke up in the morning, the house was quiet—his dads and brother hadn’t gotten up yet.

He cooked a few simple breakfast dishes and prepared both preserved egg and pork congee and vegetable porridge, so his dads and brother could choose whichever they preferred when they woke up.

After eating two bowls of congee, Lu Zhishi went back to his room for a nap and didn’t wake up until noon.

"Dad, Papa, Brother, good morning," Lu Zhishi said with a yawn, his hair messy.

Lu Tingan nodded. "Good morning." Even though it was already noon.

"Come eat soon," Lu Zhiyu responded to the greeting.

Today’s lunch was ordered takeout; no one had cooked.

It was simple—five dishes and one soup for a family of four.

They were going to have dinner at the old house later, but it was still early. Lu Zhishi started getting restless, wanting to go out and play with Chi Chen.

"Such a playful one," Song Qinian shook his head.

"It’s good that they’re going out," Lu Tingan said, taking his hand and sitting down with him to watch a movie in the living room.

They’d been too busy with work, and with the kids around, it had been a long time since they’d had any time alone together.

Since Chi Chen was going, Lu Zhiyu naturally followed. He even called Zhao Xiaoyun to ask him to come out and play.

Zhao Xiaoxing hurried over, bundled up like a stuffed dumpling, with a scarf covering his mouth.

Lu Zhishi was wearing even more layers—two sweaters and a thick down jacket, along with a scarf, a knit hat, and even ear muffs to protect his ears from the cold.

On top of that, Lu Zhiyu made him wear gloves, wrapping him up tightly.

Lu Zhishi complained. With so many layers, it was hard to move, and he thought he looked chubby and round, like a ball.

He shuffled slowly over to Chi Chen, tugged at his clothes, and whispered, "Brother Xiao Chen..."

Chi Chen bent down, felt his pants, and asked calmly, "Did you wear thermal underwear?"

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Lu Zhishi: "I did..."

"Mm."

The streets were lively for New Year’s Day, decorated with little lanterns and red balloons.

It was popular to go "street wandering"—where a bunch of young people would walk along with the crowd, not really heading in any particular direction, just strolling along the streets.

The fun was in the bustling atmosphere; holidays were more enjoyable with lots of people around.

But with so many people, it was easy to get separated. Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoyun each held their little brothers tightly, while Chi Chen held onto the back of Lu Zhishi’s collar.

The three older ones, being tall, could at least see some of the excitement.

As for Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing, they could only see the backs of the people in front of them, and had to look up just to see their heads.

In the crowded street, the two shorter boys were the ones being squeezed. After enjoying the crowd for a while, they slowly moved to the side and left the wandering crowd.

"Good thing we already had lunch, otherwise we’d have to wait in long lines."

Lu Zhiyu looked at the lines stretching from one end of the street to the other and dreaded—the wait would take forever.

"Brother, can I still buy something to eat later?" Lu Zhishi asked hopefully.

Zhao Xiaoxing quickly added, "I want to eat too."

"Sure, we’ll buy some. You two little snack-lovers," Lu Zhiyu said, giving each a light pat on the head.

Zhao Xiaoyun ruffled his brother’s hair. "Next time, pat more gently. They’re already short—patting their heads might stunt their growth."

Zhao Xiaoxing was touched by the first part, but got angry at the second. He grabbed his brother and whined, "I’ll definitely grow to 180cm!"

Lu Zhiyu laughed hard. "Why are you stealing Fat Cheese’s catchphrase?"

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Chi Chen ruffled his hair, a slight smile on his lips. "Do you want tanghulu?"

He’d noticed an old man selling them nearby.

"Yes!"

"Mm." Chi Chen said and told the others to wait while he went to stand in line.

Lu Zhishi, of course, wasn’t about to let that happen—how could he let Brother Xiao Chen wait in line alone?

So he tagged along after him, holding onto Chi Chen’s clothes from the back. From a distance, he looked like a plump little shadow.

The line was long, and it took a while in the crowd. It was a struggle to get through the line.

Five sugar-coated hawthorn sticks, one for each.

"Where’s Brother Xiaoyun?" Lu Zhishi asked, holding his tanghulu and looking around. He didn’t see him—only Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoxing remained.

Lu Zhiyu took the tanghulu from Chi Chen and handed one to Zhao Xiaoxing. "He went to buy bubble tea."

Chi Chen: "Where did he go to buy it?"

"Not sure," Lu Zhiyu said, biting into one. It was tooth-achingly cold, but tasted alright.

Chi Chen: "..."

The candied sugar shell was brittle and sharp around the edges. After eating two pieces, Lu Zhishi managed to scratch the inside of his mouth and the corner of his mouth, leaving a few tiny cuts.

It wasn’t serious, but it hurt, especially in the cold weather, making the pain worse.

Chi Chen hadn’t noticed initially. It was only when Lu Zhishi tilted his head up and said he couldn’t finish eating the tanghulu that Chi Chen saw.

He was taller than Lu Zhishi, so unless Lu Zhishi lifted his head, Chi Chen usually only saw the crown of his round head.

“Does it hurt?” Chi Chen frowned, pinched his cheek to get a closer look at the wound.

The external cut wasn't large or deep, but Lu Zhishi's skin was tender, so it was bleeding.

The inside of his mouth corner was bleeding, and Chi Chen's brow furrowed tightly. Luckily, it hadn't reached his tongue.

“It's okay, not too painful.” With his face pinched, Lu Zhishi's words were mumbled.

Taking out a tissue to gently wipe the blood, Chi Chen collected all the candied hawthorns and pulled him along to find a pharmacy to buy ointment.

“Brother Xiao Chen, I'm fine. I can just put something on it when we get home,” Lu Zhishi said, grabbing Chi Chen's hand.

“What's wrong?” Noticing something off about the two of them, Lu Zhiyu asked.

Lu Zhishi touched the corner of his mouth. “I got scratched by the candied hawthorn.”

“You dummy, why didn't you open your mouth wide to bite it?” Lu Zhiyu scolded after hearing this, also pinching his face to check the wound.

Lu Zhishi: “...”

Lu Zhishi pouted unhappily. What did he mean by “big mouth”? It made him sound like a monster.

“Stop pouting, it's making it hard to see the wound,” Lu Zhiyu said, poking his cheek.

The wound was small and superficial, stung a bit but was tolerable.

Seeing that he had cut his mouth, Lu Zhiyu couldn't help but glance at Zhao Xiaoxing, who was leaning in to look. These two food-obsessed little brothers were exactly the same.

“You stop eating too, let me check your mouth.”

Zhao Xiaoxing looked confused but took a step forward to let him look.

Lu Zhiyu didn't pinch his face, just bent down to take a closer look. After checking, he scolded him too. “You're also a dummy, you didn't even notice you cut your mouth.”

“...” Zhao Xiaoxing looked wronged.

Lu Zhiyu agreed with Chi Chen and took the two dummies to buy ointment.

“Next time you eat candied hawthorns, open your big mouths wide to eat. Two dummies—one dummy Cheese and one dummy Mushroom Head.”

After sending a message to Zhao Xiaoyun, Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen went to a pharmacy to buy ointment and applied it to the two of them.

They waited outside the pharmacy for a while before Zhao Xiaoyun showed up. He asked what had happened.

After learning the situation, he shook Zhao Xiaoxing and scolded, “Dummy Mushroom Head, all you ever think about is eating!”

Zhao Xiaoxing felt even more wronged. He hadn't noticed, after all.

They couldn't eat the candied hawthorns anymore, so Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing held hot milk tea and drank it greedily until their bellies were full.

Lu Zhishi was still coughing. After drinking half a cup, Chi Chen took his milk tea away and fed him two throat soothing candies.

No one knew where he'd produced them from—bringing throat soothing candies when going out. Lu Zhishi felt around in Chi Chen's down jacket pocket and, sure enough, found another box.

“Want more?”

“No, just checking,” Lu Zhishi said, tilting his head up and smiling, eyes curving.

Chi Chen looked at him for two seconds, then looked away and took out another lozenge to feed him.

The crowd was crowded, and after walking and stopping here and there, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon.

The group, who were used to taking naps every day, were feeling a bit sleepy. As soon as they got in the car, they started dozing.

Lu Zhiyu murmured drowsily, “Next time we go out, we have to take a nap first...”

Zhao Xiaoyun could barely keep his eyes open: “Same here...”

They went straight to their rooms and slept soundly when they got home.

Winter in the north darkens early, and by the time they woke up, it was already late.

The two kids were sleeping soundly. Lu Tingan had already let his parents know about the situation, saying they would come over later.

“Wash your faces, get dressed, and let's go home for the New Year's dinner.”

Lu Zhishi stretched, rubbed his eyes, and then collapsed back into bed.

Lu Tingan couldn't stand it and pulled him up by his arm, dressing him just like when he was a child.

He was grown up now and couldn't be as free-spirited as in childhood, but his father's embrace was really warm and comforting. Lu Zhishi couldn't help but lean in, burying his face in his dad's stomach.

“Such a clingy child, it's hard to dress you like this,” Lu Tingan said, gently rubbing his ear.

Lu Zhishi didn't say anything, keeping his face buried but spread his arms wide like a soaring eagle.

Lu Tingan said helplessly but indulged him, dressing him in a sweater and down jacket like that.

Song Qinian was right—Lu Tingan might seem stern on the surface, but he was the one who pampers the children the most at home.

“What happened to your mouth?”

“I cut it while eating candied hawthorn,” Lu Zhishi said, touching the corner of his mouth.

Lu Tingan: “Be more careful next time.”

After dressing Lu Zhishi, Lu Tingan went to urge Lu Zhiyu to get ready.

Energetic people rarely lounge in bed. Once awake, they're awake, not like Lu Zhishi, who would get up and then flop back down.

After putting on his sweater and coat, Lu Zhiyu changed his shoes, and Lu Tingan felt his pants legs.

Lu Zhiyu had a bad feeling.

Sure enough.

“Did you wear long johns?”

Lu Zhiyu hesitated for a long time. After all, he wasn't the type to lie to his family, so he stammered, “No.”

Raising an eyebrow, Lu Tingan looked at his son, who was now taller than him, and asked, “If you don't wear long johns, are you going to whine about chilblains on your legs again?”

“Huh?” Lu Zhishi peeked through the door crack. “Who? Who has chilblains?”

Lu Zhiyu: “...” That meddlesome little brat.

After putting on the long johns, Lu Zhiyu self-consciously went out with his family. They got in the car first, while Lu Tingan and Song Qinian followed after them.

When they were further away, Song Qinian, who was beside him, reached out and tugged at Lu Tingan's pant leg.

Lu Tingan stiffened. Song Qinian raised an eyebrow and dragged out, "Ohh..."

"Long johns. The fleece-lined kind," Lu Tingan explained briefly.

Not caring whether Song Qinian believed him or not, Lu Tingan quickened his pace, opened the passenger door, and got in.

The family of four arrived late, and Father Lu had been waiting for them. Half of the New Year’s feast was homemade, and the other half was ordered and delivered.

Lu Zhishi, who was still growing, polished off two bowls of rice and a bowl of dumplings by himself, finishing off with a plate of fruit.

His good appetite wasn't slowed by the sore in his mouth.

Father Lu nodded approvingly. "You eat even more than your brother did at your age."

"Eating well is a blessing," Father Song said to Lu Zhishi. "Your dad mentioned you had little appetite a few days ago and didn’t eat much."

"I had a bit of a cold the past couple of days, so I didn’t feel like eating. I’m much better now," Lu Zhishi replied, nibbling on a frozen pear as he sat nearby.

"Still coughing? Take these tonics back with you—some are for coughs."

Their youngest grandson had been coughing whenever the weather changed recently, and Song's mother was worried. Their eldest grandson was about to take his graduation exams and looked thinner—he needed more nourishment.

"Zhiyu, take care of your health too. Eat more and have your dad make bone broth for you to build up your strength."

Lu Zhiyu smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ve been drinking the broth regularly."

Just then, Mother Lu came downstairs and added, "Take all these things back with you and get some extra nutrition."

Their grandparents’ love was overwhelming, piling them with all sorts of treats.

When they left, the trunk was so full it couldn’t hold everything. Lu Zhiyu and Lu Zhishi each carried some items, squeezing and sharing the load.

Back home, Lu Zhishi drank two more bowls of honey loquat water, finished organizing his schoolbag, washed up, and went to bed.

School started again tomorrow. He hoped the weather would be nice.

It seemed universal—every time a break ended, time seemed to vanish. It felt like no time had passed, yet half a month had slipped away in a rush.

Final exams lasted two and a half days. Even after finishing, there was no break—teachers went over the test papers and started teaching part of the next semester’s content.

Lu Zhishi’s grades were consistently stable. Once again, he ranked first in his grade, and all his teachers looked at him with particular warmth.

Zhao Xiaoxing also did well, perpetually ranking second. He scored full marks in foreign languages but fell short in Chinese, pulling his overall score down a bit.

He and Lan Lan, who ranked third in their grade, were only a few points apart, so the gap wasn’t wide. Zhao Xiaoxing felt the pressure.

Looking at the rankings on the transcript, Lan Lan couldn’t help but purse her lips.

She’d gotten the last two choice questions in math wrong, and the final math problem was particularly tough—she hadn’t scored many points on it either.

Catching sight of Lu Zhishi’s back in front of her, Lan Lan lowered her eyes, went over all her errors, and went to ask Lu Zhishi for help with the problems she didn’t understand.

The top three students in their grade took top marks in the three core subjects: Lan Lan got full marks in Chinese, Lu Zhishi in math, and Zhao Xiaoxing in English.

But each had their weaknesses: Lan Lan was average in math, Lu Zhishi’s foreign language scores were unstable—sometimes high, sometimes low—and Zhao Xiaoxing often struggled with Chinese.

It was quite a coincidence.

The teachers in the experimental class wore smiles every day, but when they stepped outside, they’d disingenuously humble themselves, saying, "No, no, it’s all the kids’ own hard work," irking teachers from other classes.

"Go ask Lu Zhishi to help you out," Xi Yue whispered, leaning toward Lan Lan.

Lu Zhishi faintly heard his name and instinctively turned around. "Yeah?"

Xi Yue: "…"

Lan Lan: "…"

His ears were that sharp?

Knowing Lan Lan was shy, Xi Yue spoke for her. "Do you have time? Can you help me and Lan Lan with math?"

"Sure, come here."

Chi Chen often tutored him, so Lu Zhishi followed his example and was pretty smooth at breaking down problems.

The classmates all got along well. Hearing him explain a few difficult questions, they gathered close to listen in.

There were several ways to solve the problems. Lu Zhishi wrote them out on scrap paper, explaining the simplest method first before gradually moving from easy to difficult.

"Just go with the simplest way—lock in the points first. The harder methods are more prone to mistakes. When you’re not confident, stick with what's safe…"

By the time he finished, class was almost over. Lu Zhishi packed his things, tugged Zhao Xiaoxing along to go home for dinner, and took the chance to compare their mistakes in each subject.

Walking slowly toward the school gate with Lan Lan, Xi Yue mused. "No wonder everyone likes Lu Zhishi. He’s really a good guy."

Loaded, good-looking, and with good character—he even funded that Stray Animal Rescue Center off-campus. He kept it low-key; if it weren’t for alumni volunteering there, no one would know he was the founder.

He had a good personality too, though he was a slow burn. At first, he seemed distant, but once you got to know him, he was easy to get along with. He’d help anyone who asked.

It wasn’t just students from other classes or grades who liked him—many in their own class did too.

But after seeing how indifferently he dismissed things others gave him, his classmates didn’t dare make advances. After all, they were in the same class—it’d be awkward seeing each other all the time.

Xi Yue said, "A white moonbeam—in our youth, meeting someone like him is the riskiest."

First love, secret crushes that go nowhere.

Looking up at the overcast sky, Lan Lan said softly, "It seems like he already has someone he likes."

Xi Yue nodded. "I had that feeling too."

People’s intuition is pretty spot-on. Those with a sensitive heart, whether boys or girls, could pretty much tell Lu Zhishi had feelings for someone.

Whenever he looked up at that person, his eyes seemed to glimmer with starlight, his smile overflowing from his eyes. He’d be incredibly happy, always sporting a grin.

The youth's white moonlight is like the bright moon in the sky—visible yet untouchable.

Everyone said: So the one he holds dear also has someone in their heart. Since hidden feelings go unanswered, they could only wish Lu Zhishi gets his wish and lasting joy.

Lu Zhishi deserved every good thing in the world.

May all go as you hope.